Car door



May 21, 1935. c. E. EKLIND 2,00-9-592` CAR DOOR Filed Sept. 23, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. E. EKLIND CAR DOOR Filed Sept. 2 5, 1952 Mayzl, 1935.

Patented May 21, 1935 Ohio PATENT OFFICE l CAR DOOR Carl E. Eklind, Chicago, lll., assigner, `by mesne assignments, to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of 'Application September 23, 1932, Serial No. 634,462

10 Claims.

This invention relates to car doors and, more particularly, to car doors made of metal.

It is an object of this invention to provide a metallic car door which will be capable of ready 5 and economical fabrication and assembly.

A further object is the provision of a metallic car door in which the vertical seams or joints are formed so as to preclude the entrance of water y Yand consequent rusting 'of the door.

A further object is the provision of a car door having a panel provided with a bottom metallic plate having an inwardly extending flange overlapping the threshold plate of the car to the weather.

exclude A further object is the provision df a car door having hangers lying substantially within the Y inner and outer planes of the door and as gussets therefor.

Serving A further object is the provision of a front edge door stiffener capable of cooperating with an angle stop member to provide a seal front edge of the door.

for the A further object is the provision of a car door provided with an inwardly offset bottom plate and. hangers fastened to the offset portions of the plate so as to present a door having a substantially flush outer plane.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this cation:

specifi- Figure 1 is a broken .elevation of a door embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken 2-2 of Figure 1.` I

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken 3-3 of Figure 1.

on line on line Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure l.

Figure 5 is a partial vertical section showing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a partial horizontal section of the front edge of the door shown in Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the rear edge of the door shown in Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawings the numeral I0 designates a railway member I6 and cooperating therewith to provide (ci. 18s-46) a guideway I1 adapted to receive the upper margin of a metallic door I8. Spaced door posts I9 and 20, secured at their upper ends to the side plate II, extend to andare secured at the lower ends to a side sill 2 I. Secured to the door post I3 l is an angle stop member 22 preferably formed so as to provide a pocket 23. A spark strip 24 is secured to the door post 20 and is formed. to present a lip 25. The side sill 2 I, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, comprises an 10 angle member 26 positioned with its vertical leg outwardly and its horizontal leg inwardly. The vertical leg 2l is coped within the door opening 28 defined by the side plate, door posts and side sill, as indicated at 29. The floor 30 is received with- 15 in the angle of the side sill 2I and extends substantially flush with th coped portion of the vertical leg 21. A threshold plate 3| is positioned upon the floor 30 and extends outwardly beyond the side sill where it is supported by means of 20 an angle member 32 secured to the side sill. The side sill 2 I is preferably reinforced across the door opening by means of a channel member 33, whichmay be of a length somewhat in excess of the travel of the door. A track 34, supported upon 25.

the reinforcing channel 33 by means of track brackets 35, is adapted to support the door I8 for sliding movement. An angle clip 36, secured to the Z-bar I5, extends outwardly from said Z-bar whereby the top of the angle stop 22 may 80 abut the underside of the flange 3l provided on said clip to exclude entry of the weather into the carthrough the door opening.

The car door of the instant invention embodies a `metallic panel 38 comprised preferably 35 of a plurality of sheets arranged in overlapping relationship and riveted together as indicated at 39. A reinforcing member, preferably in the form of a channel 40, is secured to the panel at the joints between the overlapping sheets there- 40 of. The top margin of the panel has secured thereto a rigidifying member 4I which preferably takes the form of a substantially Z-shaped member arranged with a, depending flange 42 secured to the inner face of the door panel, a 45 horizontal web 43 extending inwardly, and an upwardly vertically positioned flange 44 adapted to extend into the guideway I1 provided at the top of the door opening as hereinbefore described. The web 43 of the rigidifying-member 50 is extended outwardly as indicated at 45 beyond the depending flange 42 so as to form therewith a reentrant angle within which the `upper edge of the panel is`received.

'I'he rigidifying members are also provided at 55 the front and rear vertical margins of the panel. 'Ihe rigidifying member 46, secured to the front vertical margin of the door,v is substantially of channel formation and embodies a relatively y short outwardly extending flange 41, a web 48,

and a`relative1y long outwardly extending flange 49, from which, intermediate the ends thereof, an attaching flange 50 extends. The flange 50 is preferably riveted to. the front margin of the panel and lies upon the inner face thereof. It is to be observed that the flange 41 in the closed position of the door I8 is adapted to extend into the pocket 23 and abut the angle stop 22, while the comparatively long flange 49 of the rigidifrying member lies in proximate relation to the angle stop. The flange 49 of the member 46 extends outwardly as indicated at 5| beyond the attaching ange 50 andforms therewith a re` entrant angle into which the front edge of the panel 38 extends.

At; the rear vertical margin of the panel the rigidifying member 52 is provided with an attaching ange 53 abutting the inner face of the panel and secured thereto. The attaching ange extends fromthe web 54 intermediate the ends thereof so as to present an exterior reentrant l angle adapted to position the rear vertical edge of the panel. The web 54 extends inwardly transversely of the panel and is deformed as indicated at 55. to provide a lip adapted to engage the lip 25 formedon the spark strip 24 in order to seal the rear edge of the door.

It will be observed from the construction of the upper and front and rear vertical rigidifying members that a. construction is provided which permits the corresponding edges of the panel to be peened over, as indicated at 56, into the reentrant angle as provided by the rigidifying members. By this construction it will be apparent that the seams or joints between the panels and the rigidifying members areso formed that it will be impossible for rain to seep between such joints and set up corrosion of the metallic panel.

With reference particularly to Figures l and 4 of the drawings it will be seen thatthe front and rear vertical rigidifying members extend downwardly beyond the bottom of the metallic panel of the door. A metallic plate 51 is provided with an attaching flange 58 by which said plate may be secured to the inner face of the panel. From said attaching flange the plate is oiset as indicated at 59 to provide a downwardly extending flange 60 adapted to abut the outwardly directed flange 49 ofr the front vertical rigidifying member i6 as indicated at 6l in Figure 3 of the drawings. Similar abutting relationship is provided between the plate and the rear vertical rigidifying member 52. This relationship is obtained by coping the attaching anges 563 and 53 from a point adjacent the bottom edge of the panel 38 to the bottom of the rigidifying members i6 and 52, as clearly shown in Figures l and 4 of the drawings.

The inwardly offset portion of the bottom plate 51 is adapted to receive a plurality of door hangers S2 and t3 so that, as indicated in Figure 4 of the drawings, the hangers are adapted to extend substantially flush with the outer face oi the door. The hangers are positioned, as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings, adjacent the lower corners'of the door and are secured to the flange 5@ of the bottom plate and to the f flange i9 and web 54 of the vertical rigidifying members and 52, respectively. By this construction it will be manifest that the hangers 52 and 63, in addition to providing rollers 64 and 65 for supporting the door in its movement upon the track 34, serve as gussets to eifect securement between the bottom plate and the vertical rigidifying members.

The invention in a modified form is illustrated in Figures 5 to 7, inclusive, of the drawings. In this modification the door 66 is provided with a corrugated panel 61. The relationship between the panel 61 and upper horizontalrigidifying member 68 and front and rear vertical rigidifying members 69 and 10, respectively, is maintained with respect to the reentrant angles pro.

vided in said rigidifying members and the positioning of the corresponding margins of the panel relative to said angles. In lieu of the peening operation utilized for the above mentioned edges of the panels to effect water-tight vertical seams the instant modification of the invention utilizes Welding to obtain this result. In other words, welding material is deposited, as shown at 1I, 12 and 13, in the reentrant angles of the rigidifying members so as to cover the corresponding edges of the panels. I'his welding is continuous and serves, additionally, as a means ofsecurement of the rigidifying members to the panel. Moreover, if desired, spot welding may be employed at the innermost edges of the securing flanges 42, 50 and 53 of the rigidifying members as shown at 14, 15 and 16 to further secure the rigidifying members to the panel.

Referring again to Figure 4 of the drawings it will be seen that the bottom plate 51 at its lower vedge is provided with an inwardly extending flange 11 which, in-the closed position of the door, underlies the threshold plate 3|. By this arrangement between the flange 11 and the threshold plate a barrier is provided against the entrance nf weather into the car.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended, consequently, that all such changes and modifications are to be included within the) invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a metallic car door having a panel, a rigidifying member secured to the forward margin of said panel, said member having a flange overlapping said panel and secured to the inner fac@ thereof, a transverse flange extending inwardly from said securing flange, and a flange extending at substantially a right angle from said transverse ange' terminating in a transverse flange of less length than said first mentioned transverse flange.

2. In a metallic car door having a panel, a

- rigidifying member, said member comprising an outwardly opening, substantially channel-shaped portion having legs of unequal length and positioned with its web lying substantially in the inner plane of said door, the longer of the legs of said channel portion being provided with a ange overlapping the inner face of said panel and means securing said flange and said panel.

3. In a. metallic car door having a panel, a rigidifying member, said member comprising an outwardly opening substantially channel-shaped portion having legs of unequal length, and positioned with its web lying substantially in the inner plane yof said door, the longer of the `legs of said channel portion being provided with ailange extending therefrom intermediate the ends thereof, and means securing said ange to the inner face of said panel.

4. In a metallic car door having a panel, a rigidifying member, sa'd member comprising an outwardly opening substantially channel-shaped portion having legs of unequal length, and positioned with its web lying substantially in the inner plane of said door, the longer of the legs of said channel portion being provided with a flange extending therefrom intermediate the ends thereof, and means securing said flange to the inner face of said panel, the adjacent edge of said panel being peened over into the external angle formed by said leg and said flange.

5. In a railway house car, in combination, an outwardly extending ange secured to said car provided with a rearwardly extending flange, a door mounted for sliding vmovement upon said car, the forward vertical margin ,of said door comprising a rigidifying member having an outwardly -directed leg adapted to abut said first mentioned flange inwardly of said rearwardly extending fiange, and a second leg spaced from and substantially parallel to the first leg terminating proximately to said rearwardly directed flange, said latter leg having a flange secured to said door in substantially the outer f'plane thereof.

6. A metallic car door comprising a panel formed of sheet metal, rigidfying members secured to the vertical margins of said panel extending downwardly below the bottom edge thereof, and a metallic member having 'a flange secured to the lower margin of said panel in substantially the outer plane of said door, said last mentioned member being offset inwardly to provide a flange lying substantially in the inner plane of said door, and means securing said member to said rigidifying members.

'7. A metallic car door comprising a panel formed of sheet metal, rigidifying members secured to the vertical margins of said panel exthereof, said latter flange tending downwardly below the bottom edg thereof, and a metallic member having a flange secured to the lower margin of said panel in substantially the outer plane of said door, said last mentioned member being offset inwardly to providea flange lying substantiallyin the inner plane of said door, and exposed hangers secured to Asaid member in substantially flush relationship with the outer plane of said door, said hangers being secured to said rigidifying mem,- bers for the purpose set forth.

8. In a railway house car having a threshold plate, a slidable metallic door mounted upon said car, the bottom of said door comprising an angular member tially the outer plane of said door and another flange positioned in substantially the inner plane being formed to provide an inwardly directed ilange underlying said threshold plate in the closed position of said door for the purpose set forth.

t 9. A metallic car door comprising, in combination, a panel formed of sheet metal, rigidifying members secured to the top and vertical margins of said panel,. each of said members having ilanges extending parallel and transverse to said panel and forming an external reentrant angle, said panel being secured to said members 'with the edges of said margins of the panel lying in said reentrant angles and continuous welding in said angles covering said panel edges.

10. A metallic car door comprising a metallic panel, vertical rigidifying members for said panel having anges directed toward each other, said panel being disposed outwardly of said flanges providing outside vertical seams, and meansvfor securing said panel to said flanges, said means comprising continuous' welding along the vertical seams formed between said flanges and said panel.

CARL E. EKLIND.

having one iiange lying in substan-4 

